Is America's influence on Europe waning?: What you need to know

Picture Courtesy: CGTN, Global Times

1. On his way to Europe for his first visit as president, Joe Biden said he would use this visit to make it clear to Vladimir Putin and China that the US and Europe stand firmly together and that the G7 will move forward.

2. President’s visit is really important during which he will attend the G 7 summit in Britain, participate in the NATO meeting in Brussels and he will have a summit talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. But observers say that as far as the issue of China and Russia is concerned, the two big countries of Europe, France and Germany are not on the same page like the US, both of them are reluctant to participate in any US-led barricade.

3. German Chancellor Angela Markel has been in favor of strengthening Europe's business with China as well as completing the Nord Stream II gas pipeline to Germany. The completion of this project would be a major victory for Russian President Putin. On one hand, where Russia's influence on Europe will increase, the position of anti-Russian countries Poland and Ukraine will be weakened on the other.

4. Apart from this, there is a conflict between Europe and America on economic issues, European countries complain that Biden is following Trump's policy of America's first.

5. There is no consensus in European Union and the US even on the proposal of a tax levy on big tech companies.